To Love Someone (Baytown Boys #14) - Maryann Jordan Page 0,57

to what her thoughts were. The note was so polite… so fuckin’ sterile. But just like Samantha, there was no bullshit. She was ever practical, and even if she’d wanted to still be with him in the morning, she needed to get back to her dog. She also took the time to write the note instead of just sneaking out. That must mean something, right?

His gaze swept around the room as though she might suddenly be standing right behind him. He’d told her the truth about not bringing women into the apartment. She was the first. He reached up, his palm rubbing against his chest as his heart squeezed. She could have been the last.

That thought slammed into him, causing the air to rush from his lungs. There was no doubt what he felt for Samantha was more than what he’d felt for any other woman. She was real. Honest. Smart. Loyal. Hard-working. And so fuckin’ beautiful. And I let her walk away. No, I fuckin’ chased her away with my talk of leaving. But that’s best, right?

He looked back down at the note still in his hand, still trying to divine more of her thoughts. If I hadn’t confessed to roaming, would she still be here? Was it just the need to get back to her dog that had her leave?

No answers came from the words written on the page, but he carried the note with him as he walked back into his bedroom. Laying it carefully on the top of the dresser, his fingers rested over the words for just a few seconds before heading into the bathroom. He stared at the reflection in the mirror, something he rarely did. “God, Joseph… you are so beautiful.” Her words resonated through him as though she were standing close by. Giving his head a shake, he showered, then dressed in the bedroom, his eyes continually darting to the rumpled sheets on the bed. He walked over with the intent to pull them off and throw them in the laundry. While he’d never had another woman in this apartment, the habit of washing his sheets after a one-night romp had started years before. But as he bent over the bed, the delicate scent of her shampoo wafted past, mixed with the earthy scent of their time together. Instead of jerking off his sheets, he smoothed his hand over them before pulling up the covers. She might not have stayed the morning with her beautiful, naked body cuddled up to his, but he didn’t want to wash her away.

He walked back into the kitchen, but instead of going to the refrigerator, he stood in the middle of the space and looked around. The apartment might have only been temporary, but the desire to leave had not struck. The wool sweater-itchy feeling of having spent too much time in one place had not begun.

Making his way across the living room, he looked down at the street below. From this angle, he could see the corner where Jason’s garage was located, the tow truck parked just outside. Of course, Samantha’s truck was no longer in the garage lot since she took it when she left. Sweet Rose Ice Cream Shop was just across the street, and he knew Jason and Rose were in the apartment above. The town had not woken yet, the streets clear. Not much going on. And still, the need to leave did not fill him.

Having not pondered that until now, his inquisitive mind began to search out the reason why. Always before when he’d landed somewhere, he’d had no previous friendships to draw upon. In Baytown, the whole reason for coming was to reconnect with Jason and Zac.

Now, he’d made more connections in a few months than he had in his past wanderings. The American Legion and the youth ball games they coached. Finn’s Pub and the antics of the MacFarlanes. The police were never people he sought out, and yet here, he counted numerous local law enforcement and their spouses as friends. He’d met the childhood friends of Zac, the original Baytown Boys, and their families, witnessing the type of family dynamics he knew existed but had not experienced.

No answers came forth, but the desire to see Samantha again soon overrode his normal reticence. But how do I move forward when I have no idea what the future holds? Knowing he wouldn’t find the answers while standing in the middle of his living room, he headed to Stuart’s for